Theater: Floral arrangements make a statement in 'Lily's Revenge'

Marriage equality at the stem of Taylor Mac's 'Lily's Revenge' at Oberon.

By Kilian Melloy/correspondent

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Kilian Melloy/correspondent

Posted Oct. 6, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 6, 2012 at 6:02 AM

By Kilian Melloy/correspondent

Posted Oct. 6, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 6, 2012 at 6:02 AM

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Playwright and drag performer Taylor Mac decided to write a play that would serve, among other things, as an allegory for marriage equality. What he came up with was a five-hour multi-media epic, "The Lily’s Revenge," in which a flower falls in love with a human woman and seeks to become a man in order to be able to marry her.

" 'Lily' was inspired by anti-gay marriage agendas, which use tradition and nostalgia as an argument for oppression (‘marriage has always been between a man and a woman’)," Mac explains at his web site for the play. "It was also inspired by the ever-growing homogenization of our cities," Mac adds, as well as a widespread yearning for a mythical golden past – not to mention floral casualties of human tragedy: "The millions of flowers, suffocated in plastic, that were thrown on the White House lawn, Buckingham Palace, and The Vatican in honor of Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and Princess Diana’s funerals."

The play had its world premiere in New York, where its critical reception was rapturous. Now "The Lily’s Revenge" comes to Massachusetts, the state that ushered in America’s first legal same-sex weddings eight years ago, for a two-week run at the American Repertory Theatre’s cabaret-style Club Oberon venue in Cambridge.

The play’s New England premiere is helmed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Fellow Shira Milikowski, who spoke about the challenges of putting together such a long and elaborate production. The play features nearly 40 performers, and weds theater, dance, film, and music into a unified tour de force.

"So far, the hardest part is keeping all the logistics in my head," Milikowski said, going on to add, "The excitement about collaborating with the cast makes the challenge of the logistics seem totally manageable."

Collaboration is also the order of the day behind the stage. "I’m not a dancer, and I’m not a filmmaker, so a part of me could sit here and panic and say, ‘How am I going to make this thing?!’ " the director said. "But in fact, I’ve gathered – and everyone at the A.R.T. has helped me gather – such a remarkable team that my life right now is a series of meetings with talented people. That’s how it’s all going to come together: Celebrating each person’s talent."

The play can last up to five hours. Milikowski drew parallels between the production and its intended real-world counterpart. "Taylor wrote it to follow the structure of a wedding," she noted, "so we think about it the same way. When you go to a wedding you don’t think, ‘It starts at 7:30, I hope I’m home by 10.’ You know it’s going to be a four- or five-hour event, but you’re going to have a great time, so you’re happy to spend that time being there."

Page 2 of 2 - The production boasts some of Boston’s most esteemed theatrical talent, including John Kuntz and his husband, Thomas Derrah.

"In some ways, it actually sort of challenges the concept of marriage altogether," Kuntz noted. "The audience is asked whether it is possible to marry everyone in the world, and what that might actually entail and feel like.

"That said, it sure is fun working on the play with my husband!" added the much-lauded actor and playwright. "He is just a great performer and my best friend, so to be in a play about the many different relationships in the world really helps me appreciate the one I have with him. It makes me very grateful."

Taylor Mac also stars, as the eponymous Lily.

"He’s like the grand source of all knowledge," Milikowski said. "He is also one of the most open-hearted, humble and sophisticated theater artists that I’ve ever encountered. With someone else, it might be a challenge – or at least intimidating – to have the playwright performing in the show, but Taylor makes everyone around him feel both comfortable and, at the same time, inspired to create."

Milikowski also expressed enthusiasm for bringing the play to the Boston area. "So many exiting things are happening, in so many different fields, and in the arts as well," the director said of the city. "As a theater artist, I feel engagement from the audience, I feel excitement from them. I think this is a really exciting time to be doing this piece here."